President Marcos emphasized the importance of reaffirming ties with the United States during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, especially in these "interesting times."

Marcos welcomed Rubio at Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, July 22, during the latter's courtesy call.

During theire meeting, Rubio underscored that in light of the recent events, the deep ties between Manila and Washington is "more important than ever."

"We had a very positive meeting last year in Washington. And then this is a country that has deep ties to the United States for many, many years. And it's a partnership that is only growing," Rubio said.

"And in light of recent events, I think more important than ever. And so we're glad to be with you here today and to reaffirm that relationship and our commitment to the US-Philippines relationship," he added.

The President responded, saying that reaffirming the two countries' ties is indeed important, especially at such times.

"And especially so, Mr. Secretary, as we are living the curse of 'may you live in interesting times.' And here we are, right in the middle of them. It doesn't sound like a curse, but it turns out that it is," Marcos said.

In an interview following the meeting, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez explained that the President was referring to the current events globally when he spoke about "interesting times."

"Well, interesting times is basically with what's happening in the global arena, everything that's happening right now," Romualdez said.

"It's interesting times in the sense that there's so much of these things that are happening and hopefully the partnerships that we've had, not only with the United States but other countries as well,  will be a source of comfort for us that we have a lot of allies and friends and partners all over the world," the ambassador added.

The Filipino diplomat also disclosed that the meeting between Marcos and Rubio was mostly discussions on the strengthening of the US-Philippines relationship.

"The President, of course, expressed his gratitude to the continued support that we've been getting from the United States on all matters, not only in the defense but also on the economic front. So the general discussion was surrounding that," he said.

During the meeting, Rubio also told Marcos that President Trump holds him in high regard, which is why they made it a point to visit him while they were in the country for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

"In addition to visiting here for the conference, we wanted to visit with you. You know how much the President holds you in high esteem," Rubio told Marcos.

Although it was only mentioned by passing, Romualdez said China will always be part of the conversation.

"Well, China, of course, has always been a situation that is always part of the conversation in the sense that the hope is that countries will have a way to be able to persuade China to be able to respect the rule of law, international law of the seas and so forth and so on," Romualdez said.

"So that's essentially what the messages are coming out of many of these partnerships," he added.

According to the Philippine Ambassador, the proposed 1,620-hectare Pax Silica Project was also mentioned during the meeting between Marcos and Rubio.

Romualdez said the President expressed that he was pleased with the pace of the project.

"Pax Silica and the Luzon Economic Corridor is one of the main points that President Marcos has expressed. Well, I wouldn't say gratitude but he's very pleased with that it's moving quickly and that will definitely help the Philippine economy and our aspiration to have the kind of economic prosperity that we've been looking for because it spells economic security for us," Romualdez said. 

Prior to Rubio's visit, the President also met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in separate courtesy calls at Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, July 21.

The Philippines and Japan are set to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, with bilateral ties that have steadily deepened—from a Strategic Partnership in 2011, to a Strengthened Strategic Partnership in 2015, and most recently to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during President Marcos' State Visit to Japan on May 28, 2026.

As comprehensive strategic partners, the Philippines and Japan have forged 306 bilateral agreements as of June 2026, covering trade and investment, defense equipment and technology transfer, infrastructure development, and initiatives in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Australia marked 80 years of formal diplomatic relations on July 4, 2026, highlighting decades of cooperation in defense, security, trade, education, and regional affairs.

The Philippines has 124 bilateral agreements with Australia in the fields of security and defense cooperation, air services, education, research, scientific and cultural cooperation, and migration management and border control, among others.